


almost like we know each other

by qkdxksthsuseks



Series: sleepy puffs [4]
Category: Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z, Powerpuff Girls, Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi (Webcomic)
Genre: First Love, Friendship/Love, Love Confessions, Memory Loss, Mild Language, smh, watching someone you know completely forget about you, why is there no tag about that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-07-03
Packaged: 2020-05-29 15:46:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19403440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qkdxksthsuseks/pseuds/qkdxksthsuseks
Summary: they feel like they know each other, but from where, they don't know.they feel like they love each other, but they just met.





	almost like we know each other

_The wind slapped their faces as they stared at the sky, so pink and so ominous. Brick ran his hand through his hair, again and again, attempting to smooth out his ruffled locks. He turned to Blossom without much success and said, "Are we really doing it?" He knew they were, they had planned this for years and years. But the urge to ask that question, to make her look at him again, was urgent._

_"You're not butting out on this," Butch growled as he wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders._

_Blossom's pink lemonade eyes met his and she nodded slowly and softly, the sad kind of smile surfacing on her face. She walked up and touched his hand. "Brick, you think you can stay in this hell of a city?" she laughed softly. "This world is not for the Rowdyruffs. It's for the best."_

_"Altering dimension particles and shifting atoms are two things you never do together," Boomer quietly murmured. He was sitting on the grass, his eyes full of sorrow and bitterness. "We might lose our memories. We might never meet each other." He glanced at Bubbles, who was a little far away, picking flowers like a happy child. A sigh escaped his lips._

_"We're doing it," Buttercup mumbled. Her eyes glistened against the light."We'll find you."_

_Brick walked a little closer to Blossom. Then out of nowhere he tilted her head and kissed her right there. He knew everyone was watching, but he didn't care. The silence made it feel as though it was just the two of them, against the world. They parted and Blossom's hand landed on his chest. She gave a reassuring smile, "I'll find you, Brick. Wherever you are. We'll find each other."_

_"I will too," Brick's eyes glowed red. He brushed his fingers against her cheeks._

_"Get a room," Butch grumbled impatiently. But he didn't complain when Buttercup came up from behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Instead, he nuzzled his face against her hand, inhaling her scent, wondering if he'll ever remember it. He kissed her hand as she giggled._

_The sky roared above them, disapproving their love, their relationship, their fate._

.✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

The light streamed in and Brick woke up. He rubbed his temples and crawled out of bed, an exasperated yawn escaping his lips. He reached out and opened the curtains, drawing them so even more sunshine could invade his little space. A series of groans was heard as the lumps under the sheets started moving slightly. Brick declared, "It's morning, Rowdyruff, time to get to work." 

"What work?" Butch's voice was heard and momentarily, Brick forgot. Did he have a job? Suddenly, he didn't remember anything anymore. Like a forgotten dream, he knew he missed out something. His age, his birthday, his phone number, everything seemed non-existent. Brick pressed his hand against the wall, feeling the coldness seep into his skin. The wall felt unfamiliar, the cold felt unfamiliar. He turned around, his eyes widened and his finger tips aimlessly moving. _Brick Jojo._ Something about that name felt awkward, like it was meant to mean something else. 

And then everything rushed back. A wave of relief washed over him. Yes, he was Brick. He worked as a business man. Butch was a police officer. Boomer had his own bakery. Everything was well, everything was good. A small smile appeared on his visage as he looked at Butch and replied, "I forgot it's your day off today." 

Boomer suddenly sat up and yelled for a second. Butch and Brick glared at him. Butch scratched his head violently as he muttered, "I feel like I'm forgetting something. I feel like - I dunno - I just, damn it I forgot my dream." He flopped back on the bed. Brick sighed. 

"I feel like I'm missing something in my life all of a sudden," Boomer announced. 

"You've been single for _too_ long," Butch retorted with a little grunt as he went to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. 

"I never had a girlfriend," Boomer said softly and slowly, as if he was just remembering that fact. Brick raised an eye brow with his arms crossed, leaning on the wall. Boomer sounded and acted stranger than usual, with his diluted pupils and that pensive look. But he was too and so was Butch. It must be one of those days, it had to be. 

He felt empty, but perhaps he always felt so empty. 

ミ☆

"We're going to be working with Nexon - wait, what the hell, we are?" Brick exclaimed, staring at the papers in his hands that have never felt so foreign before. There was a ripple of disapproving murmurs across the board meeting. There was sharp stab in his ribs and Brick cleared his throat and continued, "We're going to be working with Nexon to launch our game, _The Powerpuff Girls._ " He paused even more because that sounded wrong. 

Princess Morbucks snatched the papers out of Brick's hands as she continued, "And if we work diligently, we will launch this by upcoming March. And yes, I meant thirteen months later." She glared across the board members threateningly, daring anyone to complain. "Also, our hard-working _lovely_ CEO here has been staying up every day past week and is not feeling well and will be excused for the rest of the meeting." Her gaze turned to Brick, who froze and stared at her in return. 

There were three seconds of absolute silence. Brick cleared his throat, brushed the dust off his shoulders and stood up. He curtly nodded and walked out of the room. 

"What the hell," Brick muttered, running his hand through his hair. 

Everything felt so alien, so wrong, so new, too right. He couldn't shake off this feeling, it clung to him like a forgotten dream, keep probing him for more and more. More of what, he didn't know. His condition was awful, he forgot where he was supposed to park his car, he forgot to drop Boomer off at the bakery - in short, _it was horrible._ He sank deeper into his office chair, swiveling around and around, watching the same scene repeat. 

The door slammed open. 

"What the _hell,_ Brick!" Princess yelled at him, a thousand papers flitting through the air. "You were late to your meeting, you forgot to greet people, you didn't take your coffee, and now, now _this?"_ She hurled crazy gestures in his face, pacing around in her red high heels, clacking here and clacking there. "Where is your head, Brick, _in the clouds?"_

She panted angrily and waited. Brick opened his mouth, "I'm really sorry." 

"Sorry won't fix anything, Brick," Princess sighed. "You made _the most horrible_ first impression you can ever make to those _newly appointed_ board members. I know you fuck up once in a while, but did it really have to be today? _Today?"_ Her voice got higher and higher, louder and louder by each word. There was a pause as she inhaled. 

"I'm sorry," Brick repeated again, his eyes widened as his hands outstretched apologetically. "I'm really sorry."

"Good news, you have an opportunity to make up for your shit!" Princess said brightly as she slammed a stack of papers and a single business card on his desk. Brick blinked blankly at his desk and then looked up at Princess again. She added, "There's going to be a meeting at Nexon, be there, and nod along, and sign. That's all." 

"I can do that," Brick managed to reply.

Then with a forced cheerful smile, Princess walked out the office, kicking his door before closing it behind her.

Brick looked at the pair of fake glasses on his desk. He tried it on, remembering what it felt like. He opened the file, his eyes scanning the contents before closing it. He picked up the business card, the CEO of Nexon, the person he was supposed to showing affirmation and give a first impression of his company too. He flipped it around and read the name. 

"Blossom Utonium," Brick read it out loud. The name had a peculiar taste and he stared at it for a long time, watching the way the letters curved this way and that. It looked weird like a flower. It looked like a picture, an illustration. And for some reason, his heart hurt. His head hurt. His eyes became blurry. Brick put it down and closed his eyes. 

There didn't seem to be anything, anything at all coming to his head. And that felt even worse. 

ミ☆

Boomer sat behind the counter, drumming his fingers on the counter. He smiled as people came and said a few jokes. He sold his bread, his muffins, his cupcakes, and his cake. People loved the look on his face, the way he told people that they looked beautiful today. People _adored_ him. The sky was blue and the wind was cool. Everything was normal. Or so he thought. Just as he thought it was a normal day, the bell chimed and his last customer entered. 

He looked up and thought he was blinded. Not just because of the setting sun set beaming in his eyes. He raised his hand to cover his eyes and looked up. There was the soft clacking of heels against the hard marble floor. He stood there, dumbfounded, and only said, "We just closed" a little too late. 

"I just wanted to say hi," the voice was high and clear, like a glass marble. "I own the flower shop across the street." 

And when she stopped, his whole world halted. He stood there, looking at the young woman before him, how her blonde locks gracefully landed on her shoulders, how her eyes seemed to hold the sky itself, how her hand was outstretched patiently. And when their eyes met, Boomer felt something he never felt before. 

Tears welled in his eyes and her eyes brimmed red. 

"I-I, uh, hello, hi," Boomer grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. "Uh, my name is Boomer. Boomer Jojo." 

She took a long pause, his name sinking in her head. "My name's Bubbles. Bubbles Utonium," her voice shook a little. Tears streamed down her face. She hastily wiped her cheeks and chuckled softly. "I-I'm sorry. I've just been really emotional lately." She released his hand, and touched her cheeks. 

"I get it," Boomer chuckled awkwardly. "I understand. I-I really do." 

There was a moment of him just watching and her just quickly wiping her cheeks. And when she was collected and gave a bright smile. She handed him a small bouquet of flowers and Boomer received it with a soft smile. "This is a present," Bubbles gave a sheepish smile. "It's not much but - " 

"No, no, thank you," Boomer thanked. "This is beautiful, thank you so much." 

There was another awkward silence. "Well, I should get going now," Bubbles smiled and trotted away before she could do anything. Boomer watched her go and felt something hit her. Something wash over him like a tsunami. The world got muted as he watched her walk away, slowly and slowly. Her hand touched the glass. And he walked out from behind the counter, slowly and slowly. 

She turned around, the locks of blonde hair framed her face beautifully. Tears were streaming down her face, hot and fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't wipe them this time, because maybe she didn't need to anymore. She didn't need to hide her tears, hide why she was so sad. Why she was so bitter. She opened her mouth but words didn't come out. She needed one word, he needed one word. 

"Bubbles," Boomer said. The spell broke. His world snapped back into reality. Everything was back to normal speed now. 

"Boomer?" 

_\- god, i love you, b._

"I love you, B," Boomer said. The words rolled off his tongue before he could stop. Then she jumped, her arms came wrapping around his shoulders. She rushed into his arms. His hands found the familiar places, his eyes closing as he inhaled his scent. They stood there, eyes closed, remembering exactly what it was that they missed. Warmth filled their presence, the room. Tears streamed like rivers. Rivers of hope. 

"Boomer, Boomer, is it you?" Bubbles touched his face. "I'm sorry, I forgot. I forgot." 

"Atomic miscalculations happen all the time," Boomer cried, tilted her face up. "I forgot too. I'm sorry." 

She sobbed like a child and he hugged her like a lost boy. They found each other again, just like they promised. They had run away from the life that always tore them apart and came to a new world, looking for new beginnings, looking for new happily ever after's. They hugged for what seemed like forever and they thought they could do it for more. They stood there, clinging to each other. 

The sunlight set beautifully and darkness settled in. After a few minutes, Bubbles looked up and Boomer looked down. Their eyes sparkled. "Do you think the others found each other?" was her question. Boomer laughed, the sound she missed for so long. He touched her head and nuzzled closer. "I don't know," was his answer. "Maybe, maybe not." 

ミ☆

Brick sat in the cafe for ten minutes. He thought he was late to the meeting but no one was there at the designated the cafe. So he ordered his Espresso and sat down, waiting and waiting. He checked his watch three times and reread the files twice. And when he thought he could see the sky turning orange, he stood up and headed out, his hand pressing the glass door. Something happened and the door pushed back to him. He flinched. 

"Brick? Brick Jojo?" was what the voice said. There was a pause, and Brick thought he heard it somewhere before. 

_\- brick!_

"I'm sorry, I'm late." Her hand was on his arm and her eyes were slightly widened. Her dark flame-like locks danced around momentarily before falling to her side. He blinked, finding her pink eyes mesmerizing. He had never seen eyes like that. He felt his suit crease under her grip but he didn't mind. He stood there, his hand on the door, not knowing what to do. It wasn't until a while later that he let her in, taking his hands off the door. 

"I'm Blossom." 

"I know," Brick blurted. He checked his watch. "And I'm really sorry but you're thirty minutes late and I have a meeting to catch." He handed her the file and ran his hand through his hair. "I signed the files, if there is a problem, please - " He wasn't in charge of the business, really. He was just the face. " - just contact us, it's not big deal." He gave a small smile. 

Blossom blinked and then received it with an awkward smile. "Well, if you say so, thank you so much," she said brightly. "And again, I apologize for being late." She suddenly grabbed his outstretched hand started shaking. Brick looked at it and then he looked up. They stared at each other, somewhat confused and dumbfounded, for a few more moments before she started blushing. 

"I really need to get going," Brick announced as he gave a smile and pushed open the door. 

Blossom watched as the man left, feeling her heart become considerably so empty. She looked down at the files and looked back outside, watching Brick walk down the street without bothering to do anything special. Her heart ached and it ached more that he didn't say anything besides _I need to get going._ Did she expect more? Yes, she did. A strained smile surfaced as pain and sorrow washed over her heart and recognition flitted across her eyes. 

ミ☆

Butch played video games all day, thinking that something was terribly missing in his life. It was one of those moments where you fully pack for a month vacation in Paris but realize you missed out something to pack, something important, something that you didn't remember. He even cleaned his whole room, wondering if that would shake his head. He dug out old albums and analyzed each photo. He read through his elementary diaries, but no, nothing came to him. Nada. 

"I'm home," Brick muttered as the door opened. He slumped on the couch and sighed. Soon after, the door opened a second time and a teary-eyed Boomer walked in, in his hand a bouquet, a lovely arrangement of flowers. Brick raised an eye brow and Butch dropped his cup of water. Not because Boomer had a flower in hand but because he was crying hysterically. Tears streamed down his cheeks. 

"What the hell happened?" Butch asked immediately. "Who should I arrest?" 

Boomer simply shook his head and turned his eyes to his brother, with the kind of expression that was filled with pity and uncontrollable love. He opened his mouth and said, "I'll tell you two later. I swear I'm alright. I'm just _really_ happy." And Butch realized that was what it was. He wasn't sad or bitter, he was just extremely happy. And when he walked into his room, still delicately holding the flowers, he couldn't say anything. 

"What the hell is wrong with him?" Butch blurted, not in the bad way, but in the curious way. He watched Brick shrug his shoulders. Butch clapped his hands and said, "By the way, what do you want for dinner: frozen pizza or normal pizza?" 

"I don't have an appetite," Brick sighed. He walked up and showed a business card. "Do I know this person?" 

Butch squinted. "Blossom Utonium," he read. He looked at his brother questioningly. "How would I know?" 

"I don't know," Brick mumbled. "I have a weird gut feeling. The same kind of gut feeling that told me you were drinking vodka in the middle of math class." He recalled the memory and chuckled. That was really funny. He remembered she had also agreed that - 

He stopped laughing and stared at his hands. Who was _she_ in his memories? 

"That was _one_ time," Butch mumbled. "Alright then normal pizza it is." 

Butch wandered into the kitchen and took out the pizza before putting it in the microwave. After watching it turn around in the orange lights, Butch opened the bedroom and looked at Boomer. He seemed to be sobbing, clutching the bouquet of flowers, sprawled on the ground. He looked so happy, so touched, so inspired. Butch felt slightly overwhelmed to intervened but he managed to tap Boomer's shoulder and ask, "So, do you want frozen pizza or normal pizza?" 

"I don't feel like eating," Boomer wheezed. 

Butch gave him a look and swiveled back towards the kitchen, taking out the pizza. He moved it on to the plate and sat down at the table and picked up the pepperoni pizza slice and took a bite. It was delicious, like always, like it was supposed to taste like. Everything tasted so right and so perfect, everything was in place, but something was still off. Something told him he was missing something important in his life. 

"This is delicious," Butch murmured. He looked over at Brick, who seemed to be very deep in thought, staring at the business card like his life depended on it. "What, is she pretty? Did she say she know you?" 

"She didn't technically," Brick answered. "But, I dunno. There was this _look_ on her face, you know. Like she recognized me." 

Butch shrugged. "She's hot, I bet. Did you ask her number?" 

"Her number is written here," Brick waved the business card. 

Butch nodded dismissively before picking up a second pizza slice. He was full, but something was so empty. He thought maybe he was hungry, but it _must_ be something else. He looked at Brick and asked, "Am I the only one feeling really weird today? Is a hurricane coming? A storm? Tornado?" It was a form of gut feeling, believed it. What it was telling him, he did not know. Besides the fact that he was missing something important. 

"Damn it, did I forget to pay the bill?" Butch stood up abruptly. Then he sat down, remembering that he did pay the bill a week ago. "Damn it, Brick, tell me. I feel like i"m forgetting something very important - oh my god, did I leave the window open? It's fucking raining right now!" Butch opened the bedroom door and found Boomer still giggling on the bed and the window perfectly closed. "God, what is it?" he mumbled as he sat down in the kitchen. 

"You have work tomorrow, don't forget that," Brick mumbled. 

"Actually, I have night patrol tonight," Butch snapped his fingers. "I didn't forget that." 

"Good for you," Brick sighed. "Anyways, we're launching a new game, do you want to be a beta tester?" Butch nodded enthusiastically. He loved video games and he loved it even more when Brick got him free games from Brick's _game_ company to let him become a beta tester. 

"What's it about?" Butch asked. 

Brick was silent for a moment, almost as if he forgot. "It's called... _The Powerpuff Girls,_ " he started. "It centers around a story arc where three superheroes fight against evil and save the world. You're allowed job rankings and - " 

"It's called _The Powerpuff Girls?_ _"_ Butch interrupted. Something about those words rang a painful bell in his heart. He cupped his chin. He felt sad all of a sudden, the kind of sadness that stayed in his heart, lingering. He shook his head and asked, "Wait, so we're only allowed to be girl characters?" That sounded off. Yes, that was why it sounded off. That was the only reason. 

"I have no idea," Brick shrugged. "You know I'm not that interested, Butch." 

"And you became the CEO of a _game_ company," Butch snorted. 

"Haha, how ironic," Brick rolled his eyes as he said dryly. He turned the business card around. 

Butch suddenly stood up, pizza slice in hand, numbly repeating the word, "Powerpuff" again and again like a paranoid person. He had a sudden urge to go outside in the rain. He rummaged and took out his high school yearbook. He found himself, Boomer, and Brick's pictures laid side by side as they smiled awkwardly, flash in their faces. Something felt like there should be more there. He flipped the pages, checking for any ripped pages. 

That was it, it felt like there was a ripped page in his life. Not one, a whole chunk of chapters just taken out. Butch pursed his lips as he tugged his hair in frustration, so irritated. He wanted to punch something drastically. He wanted to do something. He turned to Brick, who had been watching him carefully and was now narrowing his eyes in suspicion. 

"Did you do drugs?" Brick asked. 

"What the hell, no," Butch growled back. "It's just, it's just that, something is, I dunno, missing." 

"Your sanity is missing," Brick pointed out. 

Butch ignored him and paced around the room. Brick watched his brother stand in place, rub his eyes like he was crying. Brick raised an eye brow. Butch looked even more confused by the tears in his eyes. He started crying in the middle of the living room, just endless tears streaming. Brick froze, alarmed. Boomer poked his head out and gave a soft knowing nod. 

"I'm going out for night patrol," Butch said as he started putting on his uniform. "I won't be back until I find Buttercup." 

Brick watched his brother storm out. "Who the hell is Buttercup?" 

ミ☆

"You found Boomer?" Buttercup grabbed his sister's collar and started shaking it uncontrollably. "Where? Where do they live?" Tears brimmed in her eyes before she wiped them off furiously. She released her sister, eye glazing the tear-streaked cheeks, and sat down on the couch, covering her eyes. Her whole body trembled as she screamed once before sighing and covering her face again. 

"Congratulations," Blossom mumbled as she grabbed her sister's hands. "I found him, too." 

"You found _Brick?"_ Buttercup said, her eyes wide. "God, I can't believe this." 

Blossom sat down beside Buttercup. "He didn't remember me." 

Deadly silence filled the room as Blossom stared at the ceiling. It had been him, he looked exactly the same, talked exactly same, acted exactly the same. Except he was still different, still a stranger. His eyes didn't hold the stars of love, his tone of voice wasn't soft. His body language was different, distancing. And it sucked, watching him do that. Watching him treat her like a stranger.

"He didn't remember you?" Bubbles gasped. "Boomer recognized me in, like, two minutes." 

"He didn't recognize me," Blossom repeated. "He just talked. And then he left. I thought he would look back, once, or maybe twice. And then I thought he would walk and hug me. But no..." He just walked down the street like he needed to get to his meeting. I mean, he probably did. But he never once looked back, flashed a familiar smirk. He just kept walking and walking, away from her. 

"Do you know where they live?" Buttercup asked. "Do they even live together?" 

"I dunno," Bubbles shrugged, her face still bright pink. "He just promised he'd find me in my flower shop."

Buttercup looked at herself in the mirror and brushed her hair. She looked exactly the same. She knew that if she saw Butch down the street, across the street, or anywhere, they would remember each other instantly. They would scream and hug each other. They would... right? A sudden fear gripped her heart. What if he didn't remember her? It wasn't a matter of love, it was the matter of atoms. If even Brick couldn't remember, she couldn't be so sure. 

"What if he never remembers me?" Blossom crossed her arms. "What if he _never remembers me?"_

"No way," Buttercup snapped. "Brick loved you until the end of the world, he would remember you. One way or another. It doesn't make sense anyways. Atomic miscalculations? That's a bunch of bullshit, honestly." She knew Bubbles was glaring at her because Boomer had came up with the whole switcheroo, but she didn't mind, she didn't care. "Why didn't he recognize you? Did he hear your voice? See your face?" 

"He did," Blossom confirmed. "We talked for five minutes. Then he said he had to go." 

"God damn it," Buttercup sighed. "It doesn't make sense that Brick, out of all people, can't remember." 

"That's what I think," Blossom sighed. "That's _exactly_ what I think." 

Buttercup bit her lower lip, opening the window and sticking a hand out. Rain pattered on her hands and she felt the coldness on her skin. Her sleeves became rapidly wet, but she didn't mind. It made her feel alive, it made her feel as though she was actually there. She wasn't a figment - she told herself. She vaguely heard Bubbles complaining that it was getting cold, urging her to close the windows. 

"I hate this!" Buttercup yelled as she turned around, rain dripping from her hands. 

"I hate it too," Blossom said, her eyes closed on the couch. 

Bubbles apprehensively said, "Boomer said atomic miscalculations happen all the time - " 

"No, no, not that same shit again," Buttercup pulled on her leather jacket. "There is no _atomic miscalculation,_ that dumbass Butch is just hella dumb and hella stupid. That's what it is, not atomic miscalculations." She put on her leather jacket and buttoned it up nicely before putting on her old converse shoes. "I don't give a _fuck,_ I'm going to find him. I'm going to find him!" And with that, she went out, grabbing the keys to her motorcycle. 

Blossom watched her go. Should she do that? No, she shouldn't. Even if she found Brick, he would only give her the blank look. 

God, it hurt. 

ミ☆

Buttercup put on her helmet and flung herself on her slick black motorcycle and drove into the dark, rain splashing here and there. She didn't know where she was going, she didn't have a specific destination of any sort, but feeling the droplets of water on her skin, the wind whistling in her ears, reminded her that she was alive. She weaved in between cars and stopped at the red light, glaring at the cement ground miserably. 

_\- let's do a bet._

_\- what kind?_

_\- i bet i'll remember you first._

Their last conversation rang in her eyes just like it was a few minutes ago. But why was it so hard to find each other. Bubbles had met Boomer, coincidentally, just like the destined fates they were. Blossom met Brick, and yes, even though he didn't remember her, they did meet. She wondered if Butch would remember her, and it mae her scared to think about it, but she knew. He would remember her. He would, no matter how long it took. 

The red turned to green and she drove on, into the darkness. She saw a couple police cars on the side walk. An officer waved her over and she took the alcohol test. She waited for the numbers to click on the little device and tell her that she wasn't drunk, but she heard something else. 

"Where the hell is Butch?" 

She perked up and turned to the officer who had asked. He looked ordinary. Without thinking, she reached out and touched his arm and blurted, "Did you just say Butch? Could it be Butch Jojo?" 

A look of confusion passed his face. He nodded. "Yes, do you know where he is? He's supposed to be with us right now." 

Her heart pounded and she thought she could almost hear it. "Do you know where he is? Do you know where he lives?" The officer frowned and Buttercup hopefully added, "He's a friend of mine and I have something to tell him. I'll tell him to come here, if that's what you want." She flashed a smile. 

The officer dubiously gave her the address, adding that he had recently moved in with his brothers, and Buttercup drove off that way. She parked her motorcycle and knew that every single part of her body was soaked with rain water. She felt her heavy steps leave puddles of water on the steps. After a few sighs, she rang the started banging the door for three seconds and stopped, hearing urgent foot steps. 

The door opened and a familiar face popped out. 

"Oh god, Boomer!" Buttercup said, thankful. "Where the hell is Butch?" 

In the corner of her eyes, she saw a different head in the background. Flaming red. It was Brick. Buttercup strained to look at him but the only look she received in return was one of confusion and one of a person looking at stranger. She turned to Boomer, who looked equally confused but a different kind. The kind that recognized her. He scratched the back of his head. "Buttercup, you barely missed him, he just went out," he explained. 

"He just went out?" Buttercup said, furious. "And I missed him!" 

"He said he would be looking for you," Boomer shrugged. "Do you wanna stay here until he comes back?" 

Buttercup shook her head. "No, no, no, I'll go. Thanks, Boomer." 

She watched the door close and angrily stormed down, getting on her motorcycle. Then she stopped because she needed to think. If she had barely missed Butch, he must be around here somewhere. She started wheeling the motorcycle in the rain, looking here and there, attempting to find signs of Butch. Everywhere seemed to be silent, but there was so much noise from all the rain around her. 

"Butch?" Buttercup yelled down the street. There was nothing. Nothing but rain. 

Buttercup thought she saw a figure on the other end of the street and dashed towards it, abandoning her motorcycle. And when she thought she was running long enough, she paused, finding nothing. It felt so cold around her all of a sudden. All the warmth disappeared. She felt so disgustingly cold, the coldness seeping into her heart. 

"Damn it," she muttered as she started slowly walking towards her motorcycle in the rain. She knew for a fact that she was going to catch a cold tomorrow and that Blossom was going to be very, very mad about it. She rubbed her temples.

But even after walking again and again, there was nothing. She looked down the street, pretty sure that this was where she left her motorcycle. "God damn it!" she shrilled. Someone must've taken her motorcycle. Damn, damn, damn. Nothing was going alright. She felt an excessive amount of stress washing over her mind. Nothing was going as she wanted, _nothing._

"Well, that's not necessary." 

Buttercup jumped and looked at the direction of the voice. In the midst of rain and mist, stood a figure and her motorcycle. 

"If you leave your motorcycle in the middle of the street, someone's going to take it," the familiar voice said, walking towards her. "As a consequence of your irresponsibility, you need to pick up your motorcycle tomorrow morning at the police station - " The stranger stopped talking, because they were standing a few feet away now. Buttercup opened her mouth, dumbfounded. 

There, standing in front of her in a police uniform, was Butch. His hair was soaking wet and so were his clothes. His forest green eyes were the same, looking emerald as always. He looked exactly the same, tall, handsome, and still cocky as always. Buttercup thought she would say something witty and he would just hug her, but it was nothing like that. In the rain, they just stared at each other. 

"Oh my god, Buttercup," Butch choked out first. He wrapped an arm around her waist and yanked her close, pressing her body on his. "Oh my god, oh my god. Where were you? _Where were you?"_ He looked like was crying, but maybe it was just the rain. 

"That's my question, dumb ass," Buttercup whined, her voice muffled because her head was pressed into his shoulders. 

They stood there, hugging each other for what seemed like forever in the rain. Then after a while, Butch murmured, "You're going to catch a cold, Buttercup." He felt her nuzzle closer. He sighed happily and tucked a wisp of her hair behind her ears as he asked, "Aren't you cold? Let's go in." 

"No," Buttercup said. "Let's, let's stay like this for a while, Butch. Just a little." 

And they did. 

ミ☆

Blossom saw the rain pattering outside but she wasn't worried about Buttercup. She knew it was a gut instinct, Buttercup had met Butch. And they recognized each other. And they were happy together, in love, with love, falling in love. She felt a sickening churn in her heart as she knew she longed for it. She took out her jacket and her umbrella and announced to Bubbles, "I'm going to have a drink at the bar." 

Bubbles watched her sister go, but didn't say anything. 

Blossom opened her umbrella and walked in the rain and sat down at a familiar bar and ordered a bottle of beer. She finished one bottle and ordered another. As time passed, she became more and more aware of how miserable and stupid she was acting. Yes, Brick didn't recognize her. That didn't mean he didn't love her. Atomic miscalculations, blah blah blah. And maybe he won't ever remember her, but that wasn't a big deal, right? 

Right? 

_-_ _i_ _'ll find you, brick. wherever you are. we'll find each other._

_\- i will too._

They promised, they even _promised._ But no, he didn't keep his promise. She found him but he didn't find her. He just looked at her like she was just someone else. That completely broke her, because she knew, she knew in her heart that maybe, that maybe he would never remember. Never remember that he used to be mean the world to her. Never know that they talked for hours and hours at night, talking on the phone. 

"Hi, did you come alone?" 

Blossom looked up and saw a strange lanky man standing before her with a smile. She gave a polite smile and a polite response. "No," she lied, shaking her head a little. "I'm waiting for a friend of mine." She gave a nod and flashed a small smile, not one wide enough to be considered flirting, but one enough to indicate that she didn't mean to offend anyone. She sipped her beer. 

"Well, you and your friend can join me and my pal," the stranger winked. "My name's Kyle." 

Blossom stared at his outstretched hand and shook her head a little. "It's a guy," she added hastily. "And I'd like to be left alone, please." 

"Come on, he left a pretty face like you wait," Kyle leaned on the edge, his hand already on her shoulder. "And I've been watching you since you've come here, you've just been drinking. Come on, if you drink with us, it'll be better. I'll keep you company." A hand stroked her cheeks and tucked a hair behind her ear. Blossom snapped and slapped his hand. 

"No thank you," she said, her voice hardened, eyes sharpened.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Kyle took a step back with an easy smile. "Feisty, I like it." 

Blossom didn't answer she just stared at him. The words _Do you know who I am?_ lingered at the tips of her tongue. But she remembered that was no longer a loved superhero. She was just a normal person with normal powers. She momentarily glanced at her hands, almost imagining the pink flames dancing on her finger tips. But no, nothing like that happened. Right, new dimension, new identity. 

Blossom abruptly stood up and ignored Kyle's shouts as she headed for the bathroom. She washed her hands and washed her face and then stared at herself in the mirror. Everything felt so lonely all of a sudden. She was mad but she knew she couldn't be mad at anyone specifically. Not herself, not Brick, not the world. This had been her choice and she knew there were risks. 

"Oh, hi, feisty," Kyle smirked as she walked out of the bathroom. 

"Did you just wait for me in front of the girl's bathroom?" Blossom said, incredulous. She crossed her arms. 

"I'll apologize," Kyle abruptly said. "I know I acted like a douche back there, I'll apologize." 

Blossom stared at him, finding his apology too quick and too shallow. She just gave a polite nod and said, "It's alright, it's not like we're going to see each other ever again." 

"Can I at least get your name? I'll repay later. Maybe a cup of coffee? Dinner?" Kyle asked eagerly. 

Blossom ignored him and walked out the bar, noticing that it had stopped raining, but she heard foot steps behind her. She stopped and turned around to find Kyle sheepishly smirking. She glared at him. "Why the hell are you following me? To be clear, I'm not interested in you, _at all._ So an you please leave me alone before I call the police?" 

"Aww, don't act too tough," Kyle smirked. "You lied about waiting for your friend, you're lying right now." 

"Go away," Blossom said as she watched Kyle stomp up to her. "Get away from me - " 

And she took one step behind but she hit something soft, she hit _someone._ Blossom watched Kyle's expression shift a little and she slowly turned around. Her breath hitched a little as she met a familiar pair of red eyes. His hands were on her shoulders. They paused for a while, and she couldn't help but read the familiar foreign look in his eyes - the look that told her he still didn't remember her. The look that broke her almost. 

Kyle cleared his throat. "Hi, I would appreciate it if you let the poor woman - " 

"Blossom Utonium," Brick said her name. His voice was low and soft. 

"Hello, Brick Jojo," Blossom responded with the same tone. She could hear Kyle swear and walk away. 

"Every time I see you, my heart hurts," Brick blurted abruptly. Blossom froze, blankly stared at him. Brick continued, softening his grip a little, "I feel really, really sad. And you look sad too. I feel like I should know you. I feel like I should be saying something to you, something special. But, but that doesn't make sense, right? We just met today." He laughed a little, dismayed. "I'm sorry, I must sound so crazy." 

Blossom wanted to cry. Because of the way he smiled. Because of how strained he looked. What could she say to him now? We used to love each other? We jumped dimensions just to be together and it sucks that you can't remember that because of _atomic miscalculations._ She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. After sighing, she gave a bright smile and managed to say, "Well, Mr. Jojo, we all have days like that." 

Brick stared at him. "You know what I think?" he smiled. "I think you know something. I think everyone knows something, everyone except me. My brothers are acting really weird, looking for people I've never heard of." He closed his eyes and opened them again. "And you know what I see? I see the pain I'm causing you. You look so _fucking_ pained by everything I'm doing. And it drives me crazy that I can't do anything about it." 

Blossom just watched him ruffle his hair up, stressed and pained. "I'm sorry I can't do anything for you." 

"No, _I'm_ sorry I can't do anything," Brick laughed. "I-I'm so sorry." He started crying, tears streaming down his face. Blossom touched his cheeks with a smile. 

"It's okay, Brick," Blossom said quietly. "Take your time, I'll be waiting."

Brick stared at her for a while. "I know this might sound crazy, but can I - can I kiss you?" 

Blossom stared at him, dumbfounded. And before she could say anything, he leaned closer and cupped her chin before pressing his lips on hers. She melted into his kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. After a few more moments of passion, they parted. Blossom panted, gasping for breath as laughter slipped between her breaths. She looked up at Brick, about to say something funny, a joke, or something like that - 

Except he was looking at her differently. His eyes flickered and his expression changed a little, just the slightest. And Blossom's smile disappeared. Her hand trembled a little as she recognized the look on his face. She took a step forward and touched his cheeks with both her hands. It was cold. She always like him cold. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Brick sobbed. "Oh my god, what the hell, I'm sorry, Blossom. I'm sorry." Fresh, hot streams of tears trickled down his cheeks and Blossom wiped it away with her hand. She was on her tip-toes, trying to reach him. She gave a gentle smile. 

"You remembered now, that's all that matters," she whispered. "Thank you, Brick, for finding me." 

"Damn it, I hate myself," Brick muttered. He lowered his body and stared into her eyes. He smiled between the tears. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry." 

Blossom tilted her head. "Atomic miscalculations happen all the time." 

Brick grinned widely, the kind that made her heart flutter. 

"Come on, we have a whole life time ahead to spend." 


End file.
